Shipbucket

That's way we(I was to become to be one... but... I had an small accident!) Engineers that design ships always use the density of the water in our calculation. A boat that was designed for going in sea-water, can in worse case get unstable in fresh-water, some engineers do also have different calculation for the temperature of the water in there calculation since the temperature of the water can have some effects on the ship.

there is also people that believe that aerodynamic is not important, it is, specially on large ships. for wind can blow a ship very easy out of course. but an tall ship will have an effect like an sail just as an brake.

There are many factors an engineers have to think about. And it's only the best engineers that think about all those small factors, that truly design something create.

Yes,this is true.

It's easy enough to do back-of-the-envelope calculations. Solar insolence at the equator is near enough to 1kW/m^2. Imagine something Nimitz-sized, say 1000x250ft deck = 300x75m. Imagine, for whatever reason, we can achieve twice the deck area, aimed right at the sun, with solar sail weirdness or something. Assuming 100% efficiency, which will never, ever come close to happening, and we get about 30,000 shaft horsepower equivalent. For a 100,000 ton ship. And that's on the equator, with no weather.

Direct solar power is a non-starter, and it has nothing to do with technology. It has to do with basic planetary physics.

Combining what I'm hearing from everyone, and from talking to my dad (who learned about Steam engines from his time on the Big J. and Mobile) I think I'll kick Tequilapoli's Green Steamer off the ways to make room for something a bit more feasible. Thank you all, for your informative responses.

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